Hands-On Science in Middle School

Middle school students have been busy exploring science through hands-on experiments and creative design projects.

During our unit on water and its properties, students investigated the science behind water parks. We discussed concepts like buoyancy, gravity, friction, currents, potential energy, and kinetic energy, as well as the importance of thoughtful design and water conservation. After learning the science, students worked in pairs to design and name their own water slides. The final challenge was putting their designs to the test by adding water and sending ten marbles down the slides—making sure they stayed on course and didn’t collide at the bottom. It was a fun way to see real science principles in action!

The 6th grade class also had the opportunity to experiment with Snap Circuits sets borrowed from the library. Using light, sound, and classic circuit kits, students built a variety of creative projects while learning about electricity and engineering. Some students created circuits that produced music, others experimented with lights powered through water, and one student even built a working radio that was able to pick up local broadcasts.

And that’s not all! The 8th grade students spent some time in our compute lab programming “Cue Robots” to travel through a maze, do laps in the room, and even change facial expressions as they turned!

These projects gave students the chance to explore, test ideas, and problem-solve while discovering just how exciting science and engineering can be.